Politics

Stars of Trump’s Make America great again (Maga) firmament are speaking out in unambiguous terms against the plan for him to be donated a jet described as a “palace in the sky” and convert it into Air Force One. They are damning the idea in Trump’s own language – telling him this is not “draining the swamp” as he promised to do during his first presidency, and nor does it conform to the theme of his second Oval Office term: “America First.”

Ben Shapiro, the prominent rightwing commentator, led the charge on his daily podcast. “President Trump promised to drain the swamp – this is not, in fact, draining the swamp,” he said.

Linking Qatar to the militant Palestinian group Hamas and Al Jazeera, the media network that is widely detested on the right and is partly funded by the Qatari government, he added: “Taking sacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, all the rest, that’s not America First … If you want President Trump to succeed this kind of skeezy stuff would be stopped.”

The planned gift of the 13-year-old, Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, which Trump would inherit personally after he leaves the White House, has achieved the seemingly impossible: it has united the president’s most fervent fans with his most ardent opponents. Laura Loomer, the far-right Maga activist, warned that the proposed gift would put “such a stain on the administration”.

Well, yeah. This is such a terrible idea that even staunch supporters are like "no, a free flying espionage palace that you get to personally use after leaving office is too much."